Eco Parent Magazine: Better Toys & Why They're Worth It - February, 2014 Sue Sinclair of Raspberry Kids focuses on quality, craftsmanship and good value in her selection of toys, lunchtime accessories and much, much, much more! Sue does exhaustive research to ensure that the products she carries meet her standards for Raspberry Kids' tagline "Fresh. Healthy. Fun." She stresses that quality is one of the top features to consider in toys - "...how it was made and by whom it was made. The quality generally also determines the longevity of the product... The old adage of "you get what you pay for" holds true for kids toys as well. Having said that, you don't need to spend a fortune and you can find great products such as wooden toys that are extremely affordable."▶ Read the Article

Mommy Gearest: Glorious Gift Guide - October 31, 2013 When Canadian Family asked me to choose 20 of my favourite gifts for every member of the family, it was really hard to whittle it down. From companies who pitched their latest and greatest to products I discovered on my own, the number of amazing gift ideas this year is astounding. So I decided that I had to create an extra gift guide here on Mommy Gearest.▶ Read the Article

Reader's Digest: 10 Great Holiday Gifts For Kids - November, 2013 Leave it to the Danes, inventors of Lego, to create this colourful and clever new toy. Simple interlocking rubbery pieces fit together to create pretty much any shape imaginable in either a flat or 3D form. It works with a variety of ages from toddlers straight up to older kids and is a great interactive toy for parents to get involved in, too. Building possibilities in this set are as endless as your child’s imagination and the timeless quality means it will get use for years to come.▶ Read the Article

Reader's Digest: 10 Great Holiday Gifts For Kids - November, 2013 Leave it to the Danes, inventors of Lego, to create this colourful and clever new toy. Simple interlocking rubbery pieces fit together to create pretty much any shape imaginable in either a flat or 3D form. It works with a variety of ages from toddlers straight up to older kids and is a great interactive toy for parents to get involved in, too. Building possibilities in this set are as endless as your child’s imagination and the timeless quality means it will get use for years to come.▶ Read the Article

Vitamin Daily: Play On This - November 9, 2013 So we are going to make our floors better looking and more fun with these Deuz Tapikid playmats. Featuring beautiful illustrations of a village, park, or city, the mats can be used with trains, animals, or doll houses. The only thing that is mandatory is imagination. The mats are made in a fair trade factory in India with 100 per cent certified organic cotton and printed using non-toxic inks. Add to that the fact that they are machine washable, and we’ve realized they are both safer and cleaner than our kitchen floors.▶ Read the Article

yoyomama: a real head scratcher - September 23, 2013 There are plenty of lice treatments available, and luckily many of those include naturally derived ones. This year we’re gearing up to try Eco Kid Lice Bomb – not only is it non-drip, 100% botanically derived, and nice-smelling, but it whomped a friends’ case of super-bugs from Australia…not bad for a product that’s toxin free! ▶ Read the Article

Vitamin Daily: Think Outside The Lunch Box - September 4, 2013 We are going to reduce our reusable water bottle collection (we all have at least ten, right?) and buy one perfect bottle. The KOR Vida Hydration Vessel is just that. It’s ergonomic handle and smooth spout (they call it the “Perfect Spout™”) doesn’t make use feel like we are drinking from a tin can. And it looks so much better than the branded plastic bottle we got at our last company picnic. ▶ Read the Article

yoyomama: pack to school - September 3, 2013 Bixbee bags look different than your regular backpack, thanks to a unique horizontal design, which make items easy to reach. Equipped with tons of pockets inside and out, your kid can pack all their valued treasures and still have room for homework! Water-resistant and equipped with super cushy shoulder straps, these colourful backpacks also come with a cause: for every bag sold, Bixbee donates a school bag filled with supplies to a child in need, around the world.▶ Read the Article

Vitamin Daily: The Name Game - August 31, 2013 Help keep things from going MIA in the cubby hole with these very handy Emily Press labels. With very affordable write-your-own sets ($9.99) and eco-friendly reuseable sets with no sticky residue ($19.99/47), you can choose from a wide variety of themes (flowers, books, owls, stars, camo, splatter paint, pennants and even - gasp! - plain) and customize with your child's name. If starting from scratch, the First Class School package includes shoe and clothing stickers, too. ▶ Read the Article

Savvy Mom: The Best Backpacks, Lunch Bags and More - August, 2013 Just like that they move from preschool to kindergarten to primary grades, and of course they’ll require just the right-sized roomy carryall to accompany them. Milkdot’s colourful but cool collection (literally, it comes with an insulated exterior pocket to keep drinks and snacks cold) can easily shoulder all that serious big kid responsibility.▶ Read the Article

Toronto4Kids: Back To School Guide - August, 2013 Make lunch time fun time with Funbites! Funbites Food Cutters quickly cut food into small bite sized pieces. Each comes with a matching popper to instantly pop out the fun shaped pieces of food. Funbites are made from a durable high performance material and are top-shelf dishwasher safe, and BPA free. Perfect for making creative bento box lunches! Comes in 3 shapes: squares, triangles, and hearts.▶ Read the Article

yoyomama: Buzz Off Safe Insect Repellents - July 31, 2013 The wilds of buggy Manitoba are where we put this next bug spray to the test. Graydon Outdoor Spray ($17.99), like Mozi-Q, is a Canadian product, which relies on ingredients like soya bean oil, lemon, lime, and grapefruit juice and more for its bug fighting powers. While the recommended age range was for ages 6+, we’d feel comfortable using this on younger kids (though probably only on their clothes, not their skin), and you can even protect your dog with it (we did)! It’s lightly scented, not oily or greasy, and some of the therapeutic oils it contains also help screen out the sun’s rays, however the Manitoba weather was on the damp and cool side, so we can’t attest to its efficacy on that front.▶ Read the Article

Swank Mama: Swank Finds: Baby - July 12, 2013 This looks like the perfect towel to dry off your baby girl after bathtime! Available at Raspberry Kids. *UPDATE* We've been told that this particular pattern has been discontinued by Dwell Studio and that there is only one left at Raspberry Kids. Snag it while you can!▶ Read the Article

Vitamin Daily: Stick It To 'Em - July 6, 2013 These temporary tattoo earrings are made from food-grade vegetable dyes and feature motifs like popsicles, flowers, and tropical island imagery. Stick them onto your kids’ ear lobes for a great alternative to a piercing, they work as party favours, dress up accessories, and rainy day fun. Just make sure they don't stick them on their nose or belly button, we don't want them getting any ideas about possible future piercings.▶ Read the Article

Vitamin Daily: Picnic Packing Guide - May 18, 2013 If you prefer packing your own meals on holiday, Lunchskins are the perfect companion. The reusable snack bags mean you can travel light, but with the equivalent of 20 tupperwares. They can hold fruit, sandwiches, or treats, and are easy to rinse out in a hotel room. From $8.49 at Raspberry Kids.▶ Read the Article

Ethical Deal: Mother’s Day eco-Gift Guide for your Green Mom - May, 2013 You’re lucky because you have a lot of great options! Try creating a personalized outdoor plant container filled with plants that you have specifically picked out. I highly suggest things you can cook with: basil, lavender, thyme, chocolate mint for something special and anything else you know she would love to have at hand. Go the extra mile and place all the supplies in your planter as a double-duty gift basket. Hide it on her deck the night before and have her wake up to it! What a lovely surprise, especially if you all do it together; I suggest after brunch. If you have more of an indoor planter there are these amazing little felt pods that are also great for the mom with little kids running around because these will never really break! ▶ Read the Article

The Kid Scoop: Earth Day For Kids: Get the Gear- April 18, 2013 On April 22, 2013 the world will be celebrating Earth Day! It’s a time to be good to our planet, enjoy the great outdoors and to teach our children about taking care of it. But earth day for kids doesn’t have to be all about garbage pickup and sorting recyclables. There is so much cool stuff out there that does our planet good while letting our kids have fun at the same time! So we’ve rounded up some of our favourite earth-friendly products that are kid-friendly too! The days of the ziploc gone are all but gone thanks to Lunchskins. These reusable sandwich bags makes snacking eco-friendly and fun to look at too!▶ Read the Article

Sweet Potato Chronicles: Sweet Stuff: People Towels (Not Paper Towels) - January 17, 2013 How much do I love these? Even the greenest of us can find having kids sets us back to our pre-enlightened ways (hello, disposable diapers!). So it’s great to come across products that solve a problem (my kids are a mess) that doesn’t make me feel guilty (paper napkins). These reusable, 100% organic cotton hand towels are perfect for packed lunches, picnics, diaper bags or even your briefcase. They’re light, absorbent and dry quickly. Just throw them in the laundry between uses. You can buy them singly or in packs of 2 and 3. ▶ Read the Article